THE King has given permission for a seven-year-old boy killed in a suspected hit-and-run car crash to be buried in the churchyard of St Mary and St Eanswythe, Folkestone, where the burial ground has been closed.

The boy, William Brown, was hit as he walked on Sandgate Esplanade, in Folkestone, on 6 December, and died at the scene. A 49-year-old man was arrested the following day, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, failing to stop at the scene of a collision, and perverting the course of justice. He was later bailed.

In the days after William’s death, his mother, Laura Brown, launched a fund-raising campaign for a funeral at the family’s church, St Mary and St Eanswythe; any remaining funds would go to the church, “a place so dear to William’s heart”. William was a pupil at St Eanswythe’s C of E Primary School.

St Eanswythe, a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon princess, is said to have founded Folkestone Priory (News, 6 March 2020).

Mrs Brown wrote for the online appeal: “Our son’s service will be held at the St Eanswythe’s church and God willing we will be able to bury our son in the grounds of the church he absolutely loved.

“He was child of God and he spent nearly everyday after school in that graveyard. He would spend his time collecting conkers, foraging for wild garlic or generally digging, something that he loved.”

The churchyard was closed nearly 170 years ago, in 1857, and only one exception has been made for a burial in 1898, according to the Law & Religion website. Mrs Brown was told that it would take two meetings of the Privy Council to approve an application to bury him in the churchyard, and that the Council was not due to meet until February.

© N Chadwick/GeographThe churchyard of St Mary and St Eanswythe, Folkestone

On Christmas morning, Mrs Brown drove three-and-a-half hours to the Sandringham Estate to hand a letter to the monarch’s security team, The Daily Telegraph reported. In it, she asked whether the case could be expedited, “to help me bury my boy, so he is no longer alone”.

A spokesman for the Privy Council said: “We are pleased that His Majesty the King, on the advice of his Privy Council, has granted permission in order to support the family in these tragic circumstances. The Brown family and the local community in Folkestone are in our thoughts at this difficult time.”

A spokesman for the King said: “His Majesty was exceptionally moved by the family’s circumstances, and pleased to be able to assist.”

Mrs Brown, who also has six-year-old daughter, told the BBC that she had been “blessed with a miracle”. She hopes that her son’s friends will be able to visit his grave on their way to and from school. Her appeal, with a target of £10,000, has already reached £21,000, and the BBC reports that the funeral is due to take place on 13 January.